00-7MK
by BTWNTHELINES
Summary: This is a parallel story to my other story "Licentious." Yin and Hei are enjoying their domestic married life until something goes wrong. Yin finds herself as part of another experiment and Hei finds himself miserable. Can Hei save Yin and restore things back to the way they were before its too late?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Darker than BLACK or any of its characters.

 **Rated M:** Future Sexual Themes and Obscene Language

Chapter One

He walked briskly. He was completely unbothered by his soaked clothes or the rain that dripped from his soaked locks down his slender nose. The old Hei would have taken off running, but there were too many people around to cause a scene. They have been doing well at staying undercover and he was not about to ruin their very domestic lifestyle.  
He'd called Yin's cellphone twelve times today with no success. It was not like her to leave his calls unanswered. The project he was working on at work ate up his lunch break so he was not allowed time to swing home and check up on her as he usually would. As absentminded as she is, it could just be that she misplaced her phone. Set it somewhere in their living room and forgot about it. He hoped it was something as simple as that. There was this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something was very wrong. It didn't help that his commute home was taking longer than necessary due to the bad weather.

He rounded the corner of his quiet block and instantly took off running. Their modern condo was straight ahead, just beyond his reach. As he ran up the steps he noticed that all the window blinds were closed. Not a single window was open. _That's odd._ It was definitely alarming since this type of weather was her favorite. He had to nag at her to get her to close the windows, mind she catch a cold. His heart dropped when he pushed the key into the keyhole only to find it unlocked.

"Yin!" He screamed as he burst the door open, and flung inside. It was pitch black. He flipped every switch as he made his way through their condo, searching everywhere he thought she could possibly be.

 _ **Fuck**_ _! She's not here_. He cursed to himself as he took a second to collect his thoughts. It was against his nature to be emotional in times like this, but he found it hard not to panic with Yin involved. They have taken her away from him before. He was not thrilled at the thought that maybe they had done it again.

She knew better than to leave the house when he wasn't home. He'd taken every precaution he could think of to make sure she was safe while he was away.

He dropped down on his knees as he scrambled to find her cellphone. He found it near the base of the toilet. He turned it on and sure enough, there were the notifications for all twelve of his phone calls and all five of his text messages. He clicked on the last messages she sent him:

10:03 AM

 _Hei_

 _I sure you're already at work by now. Be safe. Weather is supped to be terrible today. There is a letter that I tucked in your briefcase last night. It came in the mail yesterday while you were at work. Make sure you read it. The address said that it was from Huang. If you take the blue train home and you happen to pass by that shop that I like, can you pick up some candy? My jar is getting empty._

 _I Love you and I love you_

 _Yin_

10:06 AM

 _Yin_

 _Yes, love, I will get you the candy. Be sure to bring in the laundry from the clothes line. I know how much you hate when the rain ruins your favorite dresses. Thanks, I will open it when I'm less busy. I will be there for my lunch break. Be sure to eat breakfast. I left it in the microwave….and no, 30 secs will not be enough time. Try one minute._

 _I love you too_

 _Hei_

14:13 PM

 _Hei,_

 _Did you schedule for the maintenance man to come look at the dishwasher? There is a strange man outside our front door._

 _I love you and I love you_

 _Yin_

*Message Not Delivered*

14:14 PM

 _Hei_

 _I'm scared. Please come home._

 _I love you and I love you_

 _Yin_

*Message Not Delivered*

14:15 PM

 _Hei_

 _I think he's in the house. I'm hiding in the bathroom. Please hurry._

 _I love you and I love you_

 _Yin_

*Message Not Delivered*

He groaned when he thought of how terrified she must have been. The life of fear that they once lived was so long ago. There was no way she could still be accustomed to coping with that type of fear and pain. _I should have been there. If only I had gone home as I should have…. I'm supposed to protect her. How will she ever trust me after this? God Dammit, man!_

Hei slipped her phone into his pocket and checked the bathroom for any clue. When he got nothing, he checked the rest of the house—Still nothing. He opened the balcony door and looked down over the rail into their tiny square of a back yard. He thought he saw something shimmer in the grass and jumped down. There in the glass laid his wife's wedding ring.

"…"

He fingered her ring in horror before his resolve crumbled and he fell on his knees in the wet grass.

" **YINNNNNNNNNNNNN"**

He cried out in pain as he ripped some of their roots from the wet soil _. I will find whoever took you from me. And then I'm going to_ _ **kill**_ _them._ He made his way back into the house, to the closet all the way at the end of the hallway and pulled apart the creaky floorboard. Inside of the crevasse, was a duffle bag full of essentials: fake passports and various other illegal travel documents, wards of cash (that he suspected could last them for a good two years) emergency contacts of old friends he's made in his past life, spare clothes, and of course, his mask.

Quickly, he changed out of his day clothes and into his old uniform. He slipped the mask between the folds of his long black trench coat as he walked out of their condo. He was going find his wife. He was going to bring Yin home.

He had to end these ties with the syndicate once and for all.

 **Author Note** : If you want to understand more of the time frame of this story read **Licentious**. Review, don't review. You can do whatever you like.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Darker than BLACK or any of its characters.

 **Rated M:** Future Sexual Themes and Obscene Language

Chapter Two

It rained off and on for three months straight. He wanted to feel sick of it. He wanted to feel frustrated. He wanted to feel anything; anything at all. But he couldn't. He watched the homeless man across the street carefully. He was not fooled easily by his rough exterior. It was a pretty known fact by anyone acquainted with the workings of the underground that most of the homeless people were spies. Most weren't homeless at all.

Hei could never quite figure out where he and Yin belonged in this city. It was dirty. It reeked of death and contained nothing but broken promises. It lacked luster. It made him feel dead inside, without her. But she loved it. Something about this broken, cold hell made her feel whole inside. He never tried to understand it. Trying to understand Yin always made him feel crazy. He liked that her nonsensical actions made him feel sane. He'd like to leave it that way too, once he got her back.

He walked through the maze of side streets that would never lead him home—never lead him to his beloved. He walked up to the homeless men and dragged the guy by his collar to a fairly discreet alleyway, and shoved him into it the hard metal backside of an abandoned dumpster. The pedestrians that walked past took no note of the scene, acting as if the two men didn't exist… as he suspected they would. Nothing in this town made sense.

"I'm tired of seeing your mangy ass on my block. Go find another place to do this shit. No one pities you here. Fuck off!" He screamed as he kicked the guy in the gut. The whole scene was fake. In the process of shoving the guy Hei discreetly shoved a few bills into his flea infested fur coat. As the homeless man feigned fear, he purposely kicked a small envelope toward Hei's boots. He picked it up and slipped it into his coat as he walked away. Mao mentioned that someone had seen Yin here in the Kato district. He was eager to find out more details on it, and apparently that man had a clue. For three whole months, all his leads have turned out to be nothing more than dead ends. He took out his flask and took a few gulps. He found that the henny has been the only thing that helped him cope.

He shut to door to the cheap motel room and took a seat on the aging couch. The purple flowers in the windowsill reminded him of Yin. He'd avoided looking at them for all three days that he spent in that room. Today though, he couldn't stand them, and he knocked the clay pot off the hinge and felt oddly relived when it shattered on the wet concrete.

Inside the envelope was an address and photo. In the photo was a man in white lab coat. He was young; had to have been about twenty-seven years old. He wore causal business attire underneath his coat and a small smile. He looked accomplished as he looked down at the female figure beside him. She was very petite and sported extremely long silver hair what went well past her narrow hips. Her eyes were a very dull lilac and if it weren't for the slight flush in her cheeks one could easily have mistaken her for a doll. It was clear she wasn't quite as young as she appeared by the considerable swell of her breasts and the rounded curve in her hips. She had a collar around her neck and a strange bracelet around her wrist. She was naked. Her skin had intricate electric blue markings that stretched from her collarbones to her ankles. They looked almost neon against her super pale skin. Hei noticed that there was a series of digits inked into the skin of her left forearm. He blinked. _This can't be real…._ He blinked again, but his vision was not failing him _. Oh God…They've branded my wife! Their experimenting on my wife. No..No….no no no!_

Hei barely registered his tears as he eyes stayed glued to the photo. His grip on it was so tight, it was as if he let go he felt he would be letting go of her too. Not even the patter on the window knocked him out of his trance until a familiar black cat bit his arm.

"The fuck was that for?" He mumbled weakly as he watched the creature from the corner of his eye. He didn't bother ask how he got in. He knew he'd left the window open.

"I did a sweep of the perimeter like you asked. Nothing's out there. Jesus man! When was the last time you ate…or bathed?" Mao asked as he circled the man, inspecting him with disgust.

"I've been busy, what's it to you?" Hei mumbled back as he thanked the cat for the meal that appeared before him and dug into the Chinese takeout.

Mao eyed the photo that Hei set on the coffee table. The female figure in the photo was without a doubt, Yin. He shook his little head and sighed as he watched Hei drown another bottle. _Hang in there kid. We'll find her…._

* * *

"Do it again" The scientist ordered as he rebuked the woman before him.

"Sir, the experiment did not work. If we subject her body to that type of stress again her organs will shut down and she will die!" The irrelevant voice of one of his assistants cried out to him.

Yin frowned as she whispered, "Please don't make me. I can't take it anymore!"

"I said, do it again!" He yelled, smashing his teacup on the ground as he threw a tantrum.

"I don't want to hurt you, 00-7MK, but I will if you refuse to follow my orders"

She gulped at his warning and stepped forward. His assistants attached the cords to her body before they pulled the lever that lowered her into a pool of murky blue liquid. She squeezed her eyes shut as she thought of things that made her feel better—of Hei. His cold indigo eyes; his thin lips; his calloused hands and lean body. That warm body that held her tight against him at night. She thought of every anniversary and of every birthday they spent together. She had to be careful though. They did not know that she still had her memories of him. They would take them away if they knew she still clung to her past. This was where she belonged. This was who she was. Her name was not Yin here.

It was 00-7MK.

 **Author Note:** If you want to understand more of the time frame of this story read **Licentious**. Review, don't review. You can do whatever you like.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Darker than BLACK or any of its characters.

 **Rated M:** Future Sexual Themes and Obscene Language

Chapter Three

"Get up"

"...00-7MK, get up!"

" **GET UP** I said!" The nurse screamed as she shoved her pale, cold, barely human patient roughly to awaken her from her medically induced coma. Yin felt as if her eyelids were as heavy as lead. She could hear her impolite attendant in the background but everything seemed so groggy. Her head hurt terribly. And her throat was so dry it burned, as if someone had taken a vacuum and sucked all the moisture straight out of her body. She tried to move her limbs and panicked when they didn't respond at all. She opened her mouth to vocalize her distress but her lips too, seemed to be unresponsive. There was a shuffling in the background and she listened as another female voice start to argue with her attendant.

"What are you doing! Are you trying to get us in trouble!"

"Mind your own business Cindy!"

"Are you even authorized to be in here?"

"Are you authorized to be in here Tajimi? Because last time I checked, I was her attendant."

"Himiwari told me that you've been ordering more of the Anodycoden then what is normally prescribed. I know you're drugging the patient."

"I-I am not!"

"Am too. And wait till I tell the doctor about this-"

"-wait wait. Ok. _Fine_! So what if I'm giving her a little more than I'm supposed to? Can you even imagine how difficult it is to calm her down after the day trials! She inconsolable. And don't even get me started on how she thrashes and turns at night. She's broken three monitors already and somehow she's worn through five different IV cords. The head nurse says if she becomes too much trouble for me then they're going to strip me of my title and put me down in the lower division. And there's no way in hell I'm gonna let this freak stop me from being one of the top assistants for the research project coming up in three more weeks."

"Hmph...sounds like a personal problem. You got me in trouble when you stole all that medicine because you logged it in under **my** name! Serves you right if you lose your slot in line."

"Bitch!"

Yin could hear the two girls tumbling around. She felt her body wobble on the cold hard metal slab when one of them bumped into her. She barely felt the needle that was sticking out of her arm slip out, but the moment it did her body instantly felt like it was on fire. She started to struggle as the pain quickly became unbearable. She wiggled her fingers only to be slightly relieved that her motor functions were slowly coming back. She wished she could yell for help… for anybody to come save her- for Hei to return to her side. But he was not there. And they couldn't know about him. Because if they did she was sure they would use him against her. And that was by far her biggest fear.

 **Beep...beep beep...beep beep beep...beep beep beep beep...beep beep beep beep beep**

"Oh my god, her heart rate is accelerating too fast. What did you do?"

"Nothing! I didn't do anything."

"Her body is probably negatively responding to the medication."

"If that were the case she would be dead by now you idiot." There was a moment of silence. Hei had once told her about a God who made miracles happen to good people. She had never believed in god before, and she could only hope that she had been a good enough person up until now because she squeezed her eyes and prayed that he wouldn't let her die yet. Not here. Not now.

She prayed for more time to be with the only person in the whole wide world that she had ever come to love.

"What in heaven's name are you two doing? Why are you tampering with the patient? I will get her back to term. Both of you are dismissed." A deep voice rasped in an aggravated tone as he fiddled with some buttons on the monitor. She felt someone lightly slapping her on her cheeks.

"Come on 00-7MK. It's time to wake up. I've got to get the test ready. Today's focus is putting all your energy into releasing it."

* * *

Yin slowly opened her eyes to find herself engulfed in a strange blue substance. It was warm, and comforting and somehow she could breathe. She tried to place her feet on the ground until she realized that there was no end to the tank she was submersed in. She had woken up from the most beautiful dream of her and Hei and she was disappointed that this was what she woke up to.

 **Beep beep beep beep beep**

"Doctor, our subject has regained consciousness"

"Ah, yes. Very good!"

"Vitals look clear, all levels look clear."

"Please, increase the dosage by 9ml, reduce oxygen levels by 7%, increase the temperature to 29 degrees Celsius. I want to make sure that she's comfortable. "

A familiar figure stood before her tank as he fiddled with some buttons on the touchscreen keypad built into its side.

"00-7MK...I've ecstatic that you've finally awakened. Don't try to talk aloud, my dear, because then you'll fill your lungs with the fluids and you'll suffocate only to eventually drown. And trust me, it is not a painless death" The doctor chatted as he glanced up from his computer momentarily before he returned to his work.

"Now I know how much you hate being in the tank but you did excellent yesterday. We would have returned you to your rooms but your body started to shut down when we tried to pull you up from the fluids. Even when you're dying you're still quite the trooper. You drowned one of the nurses tasked to assist you...and the other one barely made it out alive."

Yin's lilac eyes widened at his words. Had she really killed somebody? Why was she still alive if she was dying? Couldn't they just kill her already? Why couldn't they understand that Hei killed Izanami after he separated her from this body?

"But don't you worry about that. Their lives weren't in vain, because you did it 00-7MK. You tapped into your subconscious. The only problem is, we need for you to do it again. This time I need you to reach out to your inner self and bring her to the surface- I need you to awaken her. Can you do that for me?" His voice was soothing, and his face was kind, but she knew behind his facade there was nothing but pure evil in him. She did nothing as she watched him blankly. It's not as if she could respond.

"Get her ready." He addressed his assistants as he walked back to his control monitors and took a seat.

She watched them climb the ladder on the side of the building that led to her tank. They suited up in white protective gear to protect their skin from the hazardous chemicals in the fluids she was floating in. One of them punched in a code and suddenly she felt her body slowly rising to the surface. When her head broke the surface of the water, they reached in and collected her by the shoulders to gently pull her out. They pulled out strange oversized blowdryers and dried her naked body off. And once she was dry they led her down the stairs to an enormously beautiful clawfoot tub. Floating in the milky white substance were purple flower petals. They looked familiar but in the moment she couldn't remember why.

"Step into the tub 00-7MK" The doctor commanded as he eyed her from behind a glass screen.

She did as she was told and lowered her body into the water. It too was warm. The liquid felt moisturizing against her skin as she ran her right foot down her left leg. Her silver hair cocooned lifelessly around her body as she relaxed her muscles and allowed her body to float.

"Good girl." He cooed encouragingly as he made a strange motion with his hands.

Suddenly two identical women stepped onto the platform the tub was sitting on and placed several cords against her skin, probably where all of her pressure points were located on the front of her body. She glanced over to figure out where the cords led to but they continued on and on until they disappeared under a small sliver under the walls.

"Alright, 00-7MK, are you ready? We're gonna slowly ease you out of consciousness. I want you to have a clear image of your inner self and try to reach out to her. Try your best not to fight the drugs we are giving you. They may give you a false sense of panic. Push through those fears. They are not real, it's just your mind trying to make sense of everything. So go on...close your eyes...try to relax." He turned to his lead assistant,

"Administer the dosage now."

"Yes, sir"

Yin could hear a soft hum in the background as she watched a crystal blue liquid flowing up the thicker tubes attached to the cords injected into her forearms. She could feel her body literally weakening as her eyes grew heavy and her vision blurred.

"That's it. You're doing good. Remember: Don't panic, and have a clear image of your innerself in your mind. She will guide you to where you need to go." He talked her through the process calmy. Yin pictured Izanami in her mind. She looked nothing like her, in her opinion, even though she was based off of her own subconscious. Izanami's illusion offered her hand to her, as if to guide her through her subconscious just as the doctor said she would. Reluctantly, Yin took her hand. Seeing her made her heart beat faster. Because of her, she had killed so many contractors. She had taken so many innocent people's lives.

Izanami lead her through what seemed to be a sparkling blue river. At the end of it was a bright light and the outline of a tall figure.

"Who is that?" She asked her softly as she pointed to the shadow. Izanami merely stared at her blankly as she continued to guide her to the light.

"Where are you taking me?" Yin asked as she stopped walking, forcing the girl to comply.

"He's waiting for us…" Izanami mumbled as she tugged her hand roughly, forcing Yin to continue moving.

"Who is waiting for us?…"

"He has been waiting for us for a long time"

"...why?" Yin asked as the shadow of the figure started to become less of a shadow, it's dark outline quickly dissolving away to show legs...arms...shoulders…

"Because he is our protector.." Yin frowned. This girl was not like the Izanami she remembered. The Izanami who had once possessed her was cold, calculating, stealthy, and ruthless. She did not need a protector.

"Let's go back." Yin panicked as she attempted to release her hand from Izanami's tight grip.

"He is waiting for us" Izanami repeated adamantly as she continued to sting her along, the figure slowly becoming more and more of what resembled a man.

"Who is?" Yin demanded angrily. She was fed up dealing with the girl. She willed herself to wake up. She didn't care if the doctor would punish her. Something about this trip to her subconscious was not right. She glanced over her shoulder to pinpoint what direction they had came from. But the river seemed to go on endlessly before it was swallowed up by the darkness. She felt a familiar presence looming over her and turned around to come face to face with a man. The darkness cleared from his face and when her vision focused she gasped at who she saw…

 _...HEI!_

* * *

" _YIN!"_

Hei shot up from the bed in a panic, his arms flailing as if to reach out to grab her. He struggled to calm his panicked breathing. _I found you!_ He had seen her in his dream. He didn't know why, but they didn't feel like dreams. They felt real...tangible. As if he just reached out far enough, he _could_ grab her. He pushed his sweat laden hair out of his eyes as he shoved the sheets off his hot body. He hopped in the shower, took a bath, and dressed quickly. He would not waste another moment. He would not lose hope. He wasn't sure if she was trying to reach out to him to tell him that she was still alive. He could only hope she could hold on until he could rescue her.

* * *

"Its nice to meet you...Dr. Li Shengshun. Did I pronounce that yet?" The brunette woman asked him as she studied his paperwork before her. She had long brown hair pulled back professionally into a ponytail. She had a heart shaped face, and simple glasses resting atop her simple nose. Everything about her screamed 'Plain Jane'. Hei briefly wondered if this was all she wanted out of her life.

"Yes that's correct. Today is my orientation" He informed her before she glanced up to meet his icy blue eyes.

"I see. Dr. Shengshun, it's a very rare occurrence that we allow a novice scientist as yourself into such a classified project. But it can't be helped because our main subject killed two of our best assistants the other day. We thought one of them came to term but she passed away early yesterday morning. Regardless, this is our prime patient's file. I advice you get acquainted with all the information in this file." The woman said as she passed him a manila folder with the sequence 00-7MK stamped in red on the front cover. He opened it slowly. Paper clipped on the front panel was an image of a petite female. She had long silver hair and dull lilac eyes. Hei recognized her instantly.

"Dr. Shengshun...are you alright? You seem ill?" The woman inquired, her voice drowning out to an irrelevant hum as his eyes stayed frozen to the image of his wife before him. She looked sickly. It was clear her condition had worsened considerably since the last time they had photographed her. His eyes zoned in on the intricate blue marking that stretched from her collarbones to her ankles. He recognized the collar around her neck and the bracelet around her wrist. He held back vomit when his eyes skimmed over the black ink etched into her forearm. It was her- it was Yin for sure.

"Dr. Shengshun?" The doctor asked again. He shook off his anger as he pointed to the collar around her neck.

"What function does that device offer?"

She glanced down at the photo.

"Oh, that device keeps her memories from resurfacing." His lips pursed together as he pointed to her wrists,

"And what of these...bracelets?" The woman hesitated. Hei raised his eyebrows as he patiently waited for her to respond.

"Err...those were merely a gift. The Doctor is quite fond of his subject." She leaned into the table as she continued.

"I personally believe his obsession with her is unhealthy and completely unprofessional...promise me you won't tell his wife about them. She's not aware of the...intimacy of their relationship."

Hei lowered his head to hide the anger in his eyes as he mumbled,

"What type of intimacy?"

"Oh! Not that type of intimacy! I think you misunderstood me. I just that...well, he seems to love her...literally. He only entrusts certain assistants to attend to her needs and if you disobey any of his orders you are completely off of the team."

Hei frowned,

"I see...and who chooses these assistant that attend to her? Does he himself?"

"Heaven's no! The doctor has other projects that I'll admit, don't take precedence over her's. It's just he's too busy to screen assistants for her himself. His wife does it." She whispered as she glanced around the empty, bare white room they were speaking in. There was absolutely nothing in the room besides a table and the two chairs they were sitting in. No windows, no doors, no equipment…it was nothing other than an eery white prison.

"Well, enough gossip. It says here that you've been assigned to the chemical lab. You will be tasked with mixing all the dosages that they use for 00-7MK's trials. Try not to screw up. The last assistant got fired for administering her the wrong medications. Her system is extremely frail...even the smallest mistake could kill her at this point. If you have any questions feel free to ask me. I'm Dr. Ai Matsuya by the way. She didn't hold out her hand for him to shake, instead she stood up from her seat and beckoned him to follow her.

She took him down a series of corridors that all looked exactly identical. Finally after a few turns, they ventured down a hallway that had more of a hotel vibe. There were doors on both sides of the hallway and each door had a number.

"Your room will be number 201. There is no roommate situation here. Each occupant gets their own space. This hall is completely co-ed, as are the bathrooms with are a little farther down the hall."

"Why are the bathrooms co-ed?" He questioned as he eyed her blankly. Ai shrugged.

"We've never had a problem with it...I don't expect you to present our first, Dr. Shunsheng." She lead him back to the white, uncharacteristic hallways until they came across a series of rooms with thick steel bars lined before the door. Painted on the walls were various symbols he couldn't decipher. Ai pointed to the various rooms as she continued,

"Those are the labs. Only authorized personnel are allowed into them. The only time you will be permitted into the labs is when you deliver the drugs for our subjects to the head doctor." Hei nodded his head as he soaked up everything she was telling him. It seemed the only way he was gonna be allowed closer to Yin is if he found a way to convince the head doctor's wife to permit him to join the team.

"If you'll come this way." She led him through down another corridor. He deduced the whole building had to have been completely windowless. To enter any of the rooms there was a fingerprint scanner and a retina scanner. Everything was white, and everywhere they went was completely silent. If they hadn't passed another scientist along the way, he would have questioned whether anyone even did research in the facility.

Ai stopped in front of a door that was painted bright red. There was a white triangle in the center of the door with a black exclamation mark in the middle. In fact, all the doors down the hall were also bright red with caution symbols painted in the center. .

"This is where your work will be conducted. The testing labs are just around the corner. This room specifically is dedicated to you and the other two members of your team that have been assigned to 00-7MK's case. You will report here every morning at 5AM sharp to begin your work. Do you have any questions so far?"

"No, thank you."

"Well that's a surprise, usually people do." A sultry, sensual voice responded. Hei and Ai turned into the direction of its source. Ai suddenly bowed to the tall, strawberry blonde before them.

"Dr. Shengshun, this is Himiwari Yogasake, M.D. She is the head of the medical department and the coordinator of all the junior assistants such as yourself. She is also the wife of Matsuda Yogasake, Ph.D, the founder and leasing scientist of this research facility. Dr. Yogasake, this is our newest hire, Dr. Shengshun."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Hei responded coolly as he followed Ai's lead and gave her a formal bow.

"The pleasure is all mine." She responded sweetly. There was a twinkle in her eyes that made him suspicious of her but he made no further comments."

"If you'll excuse us. I will conclude the tour of his orientation." Ai addressed to her as she continued down the hall. Hei attempted to follow her when suddenly he felt a hand his shoulder. He glanced over his shoulder to eye the woman.

"May I assist you...Dr. Yogasake?" He asked calmly as he turned around to face her.

"...Yes, I do believe so. I would like a word with you in my office." She responded before turned the opposite direction and beckoned him to follow.

* * *

Yin glanced around the room absently. Despite how many times she had been in the room, the atmosphere always felt intrusive and unfamiliar.

"00-7MK...would you like a cup of tea?" Matsuda asked as he placed a delicate, intricately painted teacup on the table before her. It was routine for him to invite her to have dinner with him after her trials. Often, it occurred when he was satisfied with her performance...it almost felt as if in his own strange way, he felt as if this was a suitable _reward_ for her tribulations. She stared blankly at the brownish liquid in the teacup. It smelled more pleasant than it looked.

"It would please me greatly if you would try it. I had these leaves brewed specifically for you." He worded cautiously before he nervously took a sip from his own cup. Tentatively, she did as told. She brought its warm contents to her lips and took a sip. It was sweet. There was a kick from a few spices she wasn't all too familiar with. Her dull lilac eyes met him and keep his gaze as she placed the teacup back to rest upon its saucer.

"Delightful isn't it? This particular brew is from India- its called Chai tea. I omitted the milk from yours because you're lactose intolerant...I'm sure you tasted the spices: cinnamon, ginger, black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, and a hint of brown sugar." He chatted calmly as he pushed his dinner around on his plate.

"Yes" She responded, her gaze set on her hands in her lap. The hem of the dress he had bought her itched terribly but she resisted her urge to scratch it. In his presence she was not allowed to act in any way other than womanly. Respectable young women did not scratch themselves at the dinner table.

"It makes me happy to see that you do not take off the bracelets I gave you. I feel those amethyst gemstones perfectly match the color of your eyes." He commented kindly as he reached across the table to fondle her hands that she had rested against the warm curve of the teacup.

"Are you not hungry? I had them prepare your favorite tonight...Shrimp fried rice." He asked worriedly as he eyed her full plate. She almost flinched at his words-almost. Shrimp fried rice was not her favorite dish...it was Hei's. And every time she inhaled the nutty aroma of sesame oil and soy sauce, her head throbbed with dozens of memories that they shared together. Whenever she asked the doctor to prepare Hei's favorite foods she imagined it was him, sitting across from her, talking idly about his domestic job, inquiring about her domestic housewife duties that she performed when he was away at work. She imagined it was Hei when Matsuda led her away from the dinner table to his personal chambers. She imagined it was Hei when he leaned in to press his dry, chapped lips against hers. She imagined it was Hei's loving calloused hands that caressed her body as he undressed her. But when he laid her in his bed, devoid of anything besides their undergarments and opened her eyes to meet his hunter green gaze, she hated that it was not him.

He was not Hei...

"Oyasumi...my sweet Yin."

Her eyes widened a smidget in utter surprise when he whispered her name under the cloak of night. She couldn't recall how long it had been since she heard anyone call her by her old alias- how long it had been since he had kidnapped her from her home and confined her to this hell. She felt a single tear run down her cheek as she stared silently up at the ceiling. She ignored his touch as he soothingly caressed her body until finally his breathing softened and his hands faltered. When she was sure he was asleep she closed her eyes and recalled the image of Hei as she had seen him during her day trial. She reached her hand out as if to grab him, before it fell back to her side…

"Oyasumi... _Hei"_

 **Author Note:** Review, don't review. You can do whatever you like.

*Oyasumi: Good Night


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Darker than BLACK or any of its charters**

 **Rated M:** Sexual Themes

Chapter Four

"Please, sit" She ushered sweetly from her own seat. Her tone sounded very artificial and her demeanor was the complete opposite of the kindness that resonated on her pretty face. She was wearing a short cream high waisted pencil skirt and a baby pink flowy blouse that was tucked in at her waist. Her strawberry blonde hair cascaded in waves that reached a little past her shoulders; she brushed it nonchalantly over her shoulder. It was obvious that she had an extremely expensive palette judging by the designer bag on her arm and the four carat princess-cut diamond ring that complemented her wedding band on her manicured hand. Her legs were crossed and it emphasized the hourglass shape of her hips and her tapered waist. He averted his eyes from her suggestive frame as he obediently took a seat in front of her.

"Thank you for this opportunity. " He stated politely. She nodded as she regarded him slowly.

"As mentioned before, my name is Dr. Himiwari Yogasake. Ai mentioned to me earlier that you will be working on the 00-7MK case. This is no coincidence. I selected you personally to work alongside me... **not** my husband. I don't want there to be any confusion. I am exclusively giving you permission to be there during the trials so that you may report everything you see to me. I have reason to believe that my husband has an...attachment...to our subject. You are a junior scientist. In any other circumstance you would not be allowed into the labs other than to administer the subject's drugs. Consider this as an honor and a learning experience that I am granting you. We will meet every day thirty minutes after the end of each of your shifts in my personal suite to report back to me what you've seen. I advise you to tell the truth and only the truth of everything you see happening in those labs. As you may already know, I handle most of the operations concerning all the interworkings of all of my husband's work. This building has a state of the art security and monitoring system. The only problem is, everything caught on audio and video is under a system which only my husband has the passcode to. Every room in this building has a camera that reports back to that system, besides his personal suite and my own personal suite. And yes, before you ask, we do sleep separately. We married each other for purely mutual beneficial reasons….there was once love...but it's long gone now. "

She paused to allow him time to ask any questions and seem visually pleased when he said nothing at all. She reached into her desk and pulled out a metal box and a contact lens case.

She pushed it across her desk to him and continued,

"These items I present before you will be necessary to enter my chambers. The contact lenses have an overlay of my retina pattern that will allow you to bypass the retina scanner. They are clear and will look completely normal against your iris." She opened the box and Hei studied the weird clay-like substance inside.

"Please place your index finger within the molding clay. Inside this box is a special mineral that will coat the grooves within your own unique fingerprint pattern and overlay it with my fingerprint pattern. It will not wash off, or melt off from any chemicals substances you may encounter in the lab. When I have gained enough information from our meetings I will, of course, undo these effects. In regards to the privacy of our meetings, I advise you to keep our relationship as platonic and professional as possible. No one will question or prevent you from entering my chambers but I'd advise you to be as discreet as possible for the sake of your own reputation here. Of course I will ignore any rumors that may surface about our relationship, however, if word gets to my husband that we are doing what we are doing, I will have no choice but to erase your memory of everything you have witnessed being practiced in our facility and fire you. Have I made myself clear? Do you have any questions?"

"I assume I am not allowed to write down anything I discover and that you will want every little minute detail of everything I see in order to be allowed to stay on the team?" She nodded her head yes as she pressed his index finger further into the box. He felt a weird tingling sensation and when he took his finger out and rubbed it, it felt as if hot glue had hardened on his skin.

"May I ask a personal question?"

"Mphn"

"Why are you employing me to spy on your husband? You mentioned earlier that you only married him for your own personal beneficial reasons. Why would your husband's business with the subject 00-7MK warrant your attention?"

She frowned. He watched as she shuffled a bit uncomfortably in her office chair.

"The information I am about to share with you is completely confidential."

"Mphn"

"Seven years ago I was in a loving relationship. I was studying at the top university in my city to be a research scientist and was engaged to my fiancee who was a novice scientist at the time. I became pregnant soon after our engagement and gave birth to a baby boy. His name is Mizuki. Three months after he was born, Mizuki came down with a rare disease. We were traumatized. My fiancee made an incredibly good salary as a scientist however, and was able to pay for our son's expensive monthly treatments. He was also good friends with another novice scientist, Dr. Matsuda Yogasake, who was the first to produce an effective treatment to cure my son's illness. The price for the drug however, was not within our means. But since they were friends, Matsuda agreed to treat our son if my fiance gave up his own research to turn his focus on helping Matsuda further his career. My fiancee agreed and they worked alongside each other for a few years. Six months after my son's condition finally stabilized, my fiancee died due to a chemical imbalance. I was not aware at the time that my fiancee personally agreed to become a test subject for a cure to another rare disease that, at the time, had no cure. Because of the failure of that trial, my fiancee made Matsuda promise on his deathbed that he would take care of me and our son. Matsuda agreed and we married a year after my fiancee's death. We are not in love with each other, however we continue to act as a happy couple. Everything was going fine until three years into our marriage my son rebounded. His disease that we thought was cured had evolved into a whole new abnormality that the world had not yet researched. Despite that, Matsuda created a series of medications at has kept my son's condition at bay. I fear if Matsuda strays too far from his work ,or worse, if he falls in love with another woman, he will forget his promise that he made to my fiancee: to take care of us. I will do everything in my power to make sure that my son stays healthy. Do you have any children?"

"No, but I am married. I understand your devotion to your partner even after his death. I believe we all have certain people in our lives who we are willing to fight for; who we feel that we cannot let down...people who we love, and who love us…"

"Yes...I could not have expressed my feelings better. And sure you may not have children now, but one day, god forbid, you may find yourself in a situation where the only thing you can feel is the desperation and the incompetence a parent feels when they cannot care for their own child. Mizuki is all I have left to care for in this world. He's all I need. It is imperative that Matsuda continues to research my son's condition and create a cure so that he may grow up and truly live his life, the way he wants to. I cannot fail him. I will not dishonor the wishes of my former fiancee. And so I need you...do not fail me."

She stood up and sashayed over to the door, where she opened it and took a step aside.

"I expect to see you in my chambers at 17:30 sharp tomorrow. Until then, you are dismissed."

* * *

 _"Kirsi" He weakly moaned her name, as her body took in his tip and wrapped him in that unspeakable heat and tightness that damn near made him cum. Her lilac eyes snapped back to study his pained expression. His eyes were squeezed tight, his face was considerably flushed and his labored breaths made his whole body tremble. But it was the sound of her name that made her whole resolve crumble…her real name. Instantaneously, he was completely consumed by her and he shouted out a stream of obscenities through labored pants as he desperately fought to keep her hips still. She laughed lightly, always teased at how dramatic he acted when she took him._

 _"Give me a minute." He begged as he fought to calm his impatience nerves. One tight squeeze of her soft pink muscles was all it would take to get him to his climax prematurely. At times, he swore this woman he married was too much for him. Her love was dangerous and he would be a fool to think otherwise. Her hands ran up his well-defined body once again, her caress marveled at the strength that resided right beneath the flesh and persisted constantly in his heart. She entwined her fingers with his and Hei gave them a tight squeeze. She leaned forward to kiss the plain gold ring that stayed as a constant reminder of why she tried every day._

 _Hei rolled them over, keeping them perfectly entangled as he set a steady pace. Her head lulled back as he hit her sweet spot again and again. Her body became consumed in the spark and the familiarity of his love._

 _"Deeper," She mewed, and he submissively lifted her trembling thighs for a deeper thrust. Her fingers dug deep into his damp back as she relished under the wet slapping sound of their intimacy and the rasping of his pleasure. She stretched her arms out weakly as she mumbled,_

 _"Cum for me"_

He panted wildly as the sound of his alarm rang loudly in his ear. His eyes glanced at the clock flashing in its red persistence of just how early in the morning it was. He shoved the device to the floor, effectively silencing it before he reluctantly sat up. Instantly, he realized that it had been just another torturous memory. He groaned as he glanced down to eye the very evident tent in the sheets. He fell back weakly to the bed. As tempted as he was to ease that ache, he resisted. Nothing came out of it when he ended up feeling disgusting and pathetic afterwards. Only Yin could appease the appetite he had for her. His hands definitely didn't cut it. But days like this, when he was sure it would take forever to go away, he wished it did.

"I should get up now. I only have twenty minutes to get ready." He mumbled aloud to himself. His dorm was spacious considering the outside made it appear very small and the only bathrooms were down the hall. Everything in the room was bland and white. There were no decorations anywhere, or anything that presumed that anyone lived there before him. He closed his eyes and thought of Yin. He reminisced of how he would wake up in the mornings beside her, her long silver hair sprayed all over the pillows, tickling his nose and his ears. He thought back to her soft scent and her soothing, light snoring when she slept. _'Cum for me'_ she had moaned. He groaned just thinking about it. Why his subconscious continuously chose to torture him knowing how devastated he felt without her was beyond his reasoning.

He frowned as he realized there was no way to hide his boner considering the bathroom was so far away. He winced as he pulled his clothes on anyway and with his shower caddy in hand, he beelined as nonchalantly as possible to the bathroom. He made it without any incident but the moment his hands reached for the doorknob a petite black-haired Japanese woman opened the door and ran right into him.

"Sumimasen! I'm so sorry! I can't see very well without my glasses and I can't seem to find them." She rambled off as she squinted up at him, feeling up his chest before stabilizing herself on the bathroom counter. He made no comment, but reached down to the ground and picked up a pair of glasses.

She took them from him gratefully and put them on her face. He had to admit. She looked a lot more feminine with them on, and besides the obvious swell of her hips and her breasts, it was impossible to gauge how old she was.

She sized him up slowly, taking in all his features. He swore he noticed her eyes linger on the slight swell in his dark pants, but he could have been wrong. He shifted nervously as he watched her. Her unwavering gaze for some reason reminded him of Yin when she first saw him naked on their wedding night, and it was not helping his case with his erection. But he was not naked, nor was the woman before him Yin...and yet he felt more exposed than he ever had in an incredibly long time. And it didn't sit well with him.

"Why do to look so uncomfortable?"

"...you're fondling me...please stop"

Her large brown eyes widened impossibly larger and her whole face flushed red as she realized her hands were fisted into his shirt.

"I'm so sorry!" She stuttered. She took three awkward steps back, before pulling him out the doorway and shutting the door. He looked at her as if she was crazy before he glanced behind him. Great. The last thing he needed was for someone else to walk into their coed bathroom to find him with an erection in front of this woman he didn't know.

She glanced up at him nervously from under her thick black eyelashes, literally twiddling her thumbs as she mumbled,

"I'm Kana. It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry our first interaction has been so awkward. I swear I'm usually more put together than this…" She rambled as her eyes glanced at everything in the room besides his.

"Are you done in the bathroom?" He asked after a long pause, trying his hardest to hide the irritation in his voice. She dumbly nodded.

"Oh of course! You're here to shower right...hehe...I mean, that's what showers are for...god I'm making a fool of myself…" She hurriedly began to gather her belongings into her arms, and made her way to the door,

"...I'll just go…" She whispered sadly and immediately shut the door behind her. He exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

His erection had grown to borderline painful. He slipped out of his clothes, turned the shower nozzle to the coldest setting and hopped in.

"I hope I see Yin today...this better be worth it…" He signed as he fought the shivers in his body under the unforgiving cold stream of water.

* * *

The lab door slid open with ease. He was glad he hadn't put in the contact lenses yet because the moment the retina scanner scanned his eyes, a photo of him appeared on the keypad and there was a another scientist waiting in line to enter the lab behind him.

Instantly he was greeted with a strong smell of alcohol and acid. It wasn't exactly what he imagined a lab would smell like. Despite the smell, every metal surface looked shiny and sterile and the only two people in the room besides himself were covered head to toe in protective white gear. A petite short black-haired woman, and a tall bald headed man had their backs turned to him. They each had a test tube full of neon liquids in their hands and there was a pretty big bunsen burner on the table in front of them. There were huge, strange, beeping machines all on the walls in the room, and like a library catalog, there were tons of vials row by row, full with vibrant chemical concoctions. The man was the first to speak.

"Go over there and strip down and sterilize yourself in the shower over on the back wall. I put out some gear for you to wear already. It should be on a metal stool back there. Just place your personal belongings in the cubby with your name on it. Once you're clean I need to you come back and bring these chemicals from the catalog to me." Neither of them turned around, but he watched as the the old man shoved a piece of paper across the table. Hei made his way to the back of the room and sterilized himself, as he was told. After he suited up in the gear, which was oddly enough very comfortable, he walked over to the table they were sitting at and picked up the list. Judging by the drawers under the vials that the chemicals were in, those where the catalogs he had spoken of. Everything was meticulously labeled and he had no trouble finding every chemical off the list. He arranged the vials on the test tube rack on the table and gently slide it over to the woman. She had her head bowed but something about her demeanor was familiar.

"Excuse me, here are the dosages he requested." He interrupted politely. She glanced up at him from under her safety goggles and gasped.

"It's you!" She shrieked, causing the older man to flinch and spill some of the liquid from the test tube he was holding.

"Kana! Please refrain from making unnecessary loud noises while in the lab. How many times must I tell you that!" The older man barked at her. She bowed before him before she scrambled to clean up his mess.

The other scientist paused his work to eye Hei. After a few moments he spoke,

"You must be Dr. Li Shengshun? How do you do? I am Akihiro Akagi, Ph.D. I am the leading chemist in this facility. You may call me Dr. Akihiro if you so desire. From this day forth you will be working alongside Kana and I. I advise you to shadow her and learn as much as you can. I will not always be in the lab to assist either of you. It will be your responsibility to administer Dr. Yogasake's test subjects the correct dosages according to his speculations every day. You will find his notes from his previous trials on a clipboard near the door you came in. I am here today only at his request...it seems 00-7MK is recovering quite nicely since her last breakdown. I fear that woman does not have long by the way he is straining her body..." He responded passively before he turned back to his work.

"Kana, have you met Dr. Shengshun already? I noticed you have neglected to introduce yourself." Kana merely blushed and Hei gave her a blank stare.

"We met early this morning." He replied to Akihiro before he turned his back to them to retrieve the clipboard that the chemist had spoken of.

Kana watched him quietly. It was obvious she found him intriguing and her affections made their relationship, or lack thereof, more annoying.

"Do you want to say something?" Hei asked after a while, uncomfortable under her searching gaze. This woman clearly had a staring problem. She blushed again, and he found her body's reactions to him more aggravating than her high pitched voice.

"I was just going to explain to you how to read those documents. The terminology can be confusing and not all the chemicals Dr. Yogasake requests are here in our particular catalogs. Sometimes we have to borrow a few dosages from the labs across the hall…" She went on to explains certain symbols scribbled on the page and how to read the numeric system they had created for certain quantities for a drug. It was simple enough and he felt confident after creating a few of the required chemicals correctly that he would complete his job with ease.

"You're a natural" She beamed at him, as he completed the rest of the list without her assistance.

"When do I deliver these test tubes to the doctor for the trials?" He countered as he glanced up at the clock on the wall. He was eager to see Yin. Everyone was speaking of her and her condition, and he had yet to see her. Would she remember him? Was she well? Was she frightened? Had she been tortured? Who where her kidnappers and why was she here? There were so many questions he wanted to ask her. He had a burning desire to grab her the moment he saw her, escape this place, and bring her home. All of those things...would have to wait. He was a one-man team, and besides the favor he asked from Mao and Huang, he knew he couldn't ask for their assistance in rescuing Yin. They had their own problems with the Syndicate, so finding this facility and getting him in was the most they could do for him. Even that was enough, and he was grateful.

"The doctor will call you over the intercom." She responded matter-of-factly as she continued to work on her own assignments.

"He should be calling any moment now…" Akihiro mumbled to himself from somewhere behind tall racks of carefully aligned test tubes.

Sure enough there was a dinging melody that rang over the intercom and Kana looked at him expectedly.

"That's your cue. Good luck! You can deliver the drugs in those biohazard waste containers over there. Did Ai show you the way to the testing lab during your orientation? Or do you need me to guide you there?"

"I'll be fine. Thank you."

He packed the test tubes securely into the biohazard container and made his way to his cubby where he fished through his pockets for the contact lens case. Once he had everything he needed he made the walk all the way to the testing lab, following the strange symbols on the wall. When he got past the security into the lab, the door slid open and the room opened up into a gigantic space. There was a giant tank on one wall full of blue liquid. In the center of the room was a clawfoot tub full with a white milky substance and he thought he saw purple flowers floating on the water's surface. He glanced up, following the angle of the ladder against the wall to see the control panel up near the ceiling. Behind the glass was a team of female scientists and they were all surrounding one man. Nowhere in the room did he see Yin.

"Dr. Shengshun, please climb the ladder and report to Dr. Yogasake in the control panel." A female voice said behind him. He thought he heard her voice echo, but when he turned around to eye the two identical women behind him, he realized that they both had spoken in unison. Their demeanors were so emotionless and robotic, he wondered if they were even human.

He climbed the ladder and went through the door of the control panel. Nobody stopped working to regard him but the doctor himself.

"Thank god. My wife has done something right for once. You're here! What took you so long? Did you get lost?" Matsuda asked him rather calmly. He ushered Hei closer to him and took the container out of his hands. After examining the vials for a moment, he nodded his head in satisfaction.

"Very good. Better than I would expect from a rookie. The consistency of these drugs look satisfactory. Dr. Li Shengshun, I suppose?" He chatted before he turned his attention back to his computer monitor and fiddled with a few buttons. He seemed unphased by Hei's repeated lack of response.

"Have you ever interacted with a test subject before?"

"No sir…"

"Well you're in for a treat. 00-7MK has a very gentle nature and is a pliable subject to work with."

Hei frowned, and after a quick glance around he noticed other scientists were frowning too. Whatever their reasons for the distaste in Matsuda's statement, he wasn't too thrilled to hear the man who was experimenting on his wife talk so positively about her.

"Where is the test subject?"

Matsuda looked him over and smiled.

"Eager are we? Don't worry. They are bringing her now. As I said before, she is easy to work with but her system is extremely delicate. I'm going to let you in on a little secret." He leaned forward a bit and whispered,

"She was a doll once. I found her through the help of the Syndicate. At first I felt I had no use for her, but once we tapped into her subconscious and discovered her observation spector, I realized the use she would become. Originally, it was a contractor that I wanted for my research. But the one I wanted was not easy to get a hold on…." He rambled off before he pulled a lever on the dashboard and a loud rumbling noise radiated through the room. Suddenly a hole opened up from the floor and a tank slowly rose through the gaping expanse. Everyone's eyes were on the tank as it slowly crept right behind the clawfoot tub.

"Who was the contractor that you desired for your research?" Hei asked suspiciously. Matsuda turned to look at him, and he had an unusual gleam in his eyes. Hei seriously did not trust this man. He narrowed his eyes at the doctor as he continued,

"I wanted to Syndicate to give me BK-201, the Black Reaper. His contractor abilities of molecular manipulation are extraordinary and unrivaled. However, the Black Reaper is a calculating assassin and apparently, is incredibly hard to locate. I don't think they've caught him once. But they've caught his doll, that was allegedly on his team. Since they couldn't get me BK-201, they gave me the second best thing. I paid them handsomely for the Bleak Reaper...but hey, what can you do?"

Hei deadpanned.

Matsuda shrugged before he picked up a microphone and began to issue out orders. Hei glanced the way he had glanced through the glass screen and literally felt his heart stop. In the tank was Yin. She had changed so much. The intricate blue markings that before were only on one side of her body, had traveled to the other side. She didn't look as sickly as she had in the photographs, however her hair was even longer and he skin was almost translucent. The bracelets on her wrists twinkled in the light and he looked out of the corner of his eyes to gauge the doctor's reaction. Unlike him, Matsuda seemed proud and he had a warm smile on his face. Hei resisted the urge to kill the man.

"00-7MK, my dear, the time has come to show us your evolved doll Izanami. Will you bring her forth for us today? I want you to allow her to take control over your body, of course only temporarily, so that we may meet her. Can you do that for me?"

His voice was calm and kind. Himiwari was right; he definitely had an attachment to his wife. And every second Hei watched the doctor talk, he felt his blood boil. After the assistants checked all her levels and reported back that she was ready for testing, Hei watched the two women from earlier ease her out of the tank and help her into the tub. Yin seemed used to their treatment, because she didn't fight them or make any comments. He wondered if she actually could speak anymore.

"Is the test subject mute?"

Matsuda shook his head no.

"She can talk. She was quiet when she first arrived here. I think that's just her personality…"

"You may go downstairs now and administer the drugs. There is a device on the wall that you pour the chemicals into and they will travel through the tubes to her body. Before you pour the dosage into the device make sure you attach the cords to her body." Matsuda continued, as he pointed to the device he spoke of mounted on the wall. Hei declined the stairs and collected the long cords that he would need to attach to her body. He calmly walked to her body, not trying to draw attention to how anxious he was to be in front of her. When he finally reached the tub, he exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

There she was, in the flesh, _alive_.

"Yin.." He whispered quietly. They were alone on the floor and as far as he knew, couldn't be heard from so far away. Her dull lilac eyes turned to look at him. Her face made no indication that she heard him, but the way her pupils dilated made him believe that she heard him. She never took her eyes off of him as she watched him attach the cords to her pressure points. Discreetly, he reached into the tub and rubbed his fingers over her soft hands. He knew he was ruining his cover touching her like that, but he couldn't help himself. Every memory he ever had with her just seemed to flash before his eyes and he couldn't resist touching her.

It was as if she knew how devastated he felt seeing her like that, because she blinked and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Dr. Shengshun, are you alright? Do you need assistance?" Matsuda called over the microphone. Hei shook his head. He gave her one last look of longing, mentally promising her that he would rescue her, before he placed the test tubes into the device and turned on the machine. It gave a soft hum before he watched a crystal blue liquid travel to her body. The drugs seemed to affect her instantly because her eyelids grew heavy and her body physically relaxed.

Hei stood off to the side as he watched Matsuda interact with his team. Yin didn't budge for about 45 minutes. He made mental notes of everything he saw so that he would have enough information to report back to Himiwari.

If he wanted to get Yin out of here, he would need to stay on her good side.

 **Author Note:** Things are about to get interesting, stay tuned. Review, don't review. You can do whatever you like.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Darker than BLACK or any of its characters**

 **Rated M:** Sexual themes

 _Chapter Five_

Hei tapped his foot as he waited impatiently in a bedroom that was not his own - it was her's - and that very fact made him feel uncomfortable. He glanced down at his watch disapprovingly. She was late - again. He heard the familiar click of the door closing and turned around.

"Sorry I'm late" She hurried out before he could open his mouth to reprimand her. He paused and she held up a finger to shush him just as his lips parted.

"I know what you're thinking; I promise it won't happen again. This time there was a real emergency. Mizuki hid his medication and it took me forever to find it. I just don't understand what's going through his head. He knows better! If he doesn't take the pill then he'll die…" She shook her head as she walked past him and plopped on her bed. He stood awkwardly at its foot waiting to deliver his report.

"So…" She asked impatiently as she dug into her long hair to drag the scrunchie out.

He cleared his throat,

"This is the third time this week that 00-7MK has failed her trials. It seems to be the cause of Matsuda's frustration lately. At the end of the trials, he seems to be spending more and more time with her. It used to be for an hour, maybe an hour and a half. Each day it becomes incrementally longer. Yesterday it was two and a half hours. "

"What! That pedofile! That girl looks like she's no older than 16 years old...what is he trying to accomplish?"

Hei frowned. She was in fact way older than that...and married - not that she knew. But the fact that she had indirectly called him a pedofile along with the man didn't exactly sit well in his mind.

"He wants to awaken an evolved being called Izanami, whom he believes uses Yin as a host"

"...Yin...who is Yin?" She paused. _Shit…_ Immediately he realized that he'd slipped up.

"I'm not sure. That was a term he used today. I fear he truly has become attached to the subject since it seems he has named her…"

"Yin...but why Yin?" She mumbled to herself as she thought on it. Hei could only hope she didn't notice the change in his speech due to his slip up.

"How would you like for me to proceed?" He asked, breaking through the silence in the room.

"Do whatever you need to do to befriend my husband and find out what he's doing when they aren't in the labs. This may be my leverage to force him to focus on Mizuki's cure. If you find out anything worthwhile, let me know immediately. I'm not trying to draw this out any longer than it has to be. And I'm sure you wanna move on to better things, perhaps focusing on your own responsibilities."

Hei nodded his head in confirmation,

"Be back here tomorrow, same time then?"

He watched her roll off the bed and sashay over to her vanity. She began to slowly unbutton her blouse as she watched him through the mirror's reflection. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought she was attempting to seduce him. He refused to allow himself to even _think_ that way.

"I wanna give you enough time to plan this out and do what you need to do. So no, we'll reconvene in a week. You better have something good for me by then. Don't disappoint me…"

There was a reason why he didn't prefer female clients. One: they seemed to have the hardest time separating business from pleasure. Two: They tended to have the most unrealistic expectations. And Three: They often formed attachments to all the wrong causes. It didn't take long for him to realize that she tethered along all of those lines.

He turned away and began making his way to the door as he called back,

"I won't"

* * *

A gentle yet lazy hand ran along her soft skin, following the humble curves of her body from practiced memory until they rested on her hips. She took that hand and brought them to her meek breasts. He hesitated... only for a moment before he squeezed them. The soft sigh that tumbled from her lips seemed to reassure him as he pulled her gently into his lap. She buried her head weakly into the croak of his neck and rested her small hands on his broad, naked back. He bowed his head to kiss her atop her crown before he planted a single sensual kiss under her chin. He moaned when one of her hands fisted into the fabric of his black pants and squeezed his thigh. She could feel him growing beneath her and she experimentally rocked her hips until it warranted a reaction she wanted.

"Yin!" He huffed huskily as his hands immediately gripped her hips to stop her grinding. She looked at him blankly. Every breath he exhaled, she inhaled and the intensity of the moment merely intensified with each faltering second. And then she did something completely out of her normal stoic character: She leaned forward and kissed him. It was not often that she initiated these moments and his eyes widened with shock at her dominant advances. He glanced down only to find that her eyes were closed. He gently lifted the oversized tank top off her body, and the way his calloused hands would brush her sensitive skin sent shivers down her spine. He hadn't realized that he had paused to take the time to marvel at her pretty pale skin and blemish free body until she mumbled his name. His name...of how the sound of his name coming from the lips of the woman he loved excited him and frightened him all at the same time.

"Hei...take them off" She whispered flatly as she fiddled with the zipper to his pants. He paused for a moment as he stared at her hands, before he gently shoved her off his lap and stood up. She said nothing as she watched him push the black slacks off his lean hips. Her eyes lingered on the tent in his boxers and he felt his body heat with anticipation. It was not often that he found himself blushing, but the way she would look at him...it did things to him.

She reached her hand out to cup him and he almost laughed at her curiously. How she managed to always act as if this was their first time together, was beyond him. It was as if she didn't bring him to his knees in weak, sated ecstasy when they were through tumbling through their sheets, alone in a world only they understood.

He stepped out of his clothes and she wasted no time crawling onto the bed before waiting for him to join her. He lowered the weight of his body onto her soft, fleshy torso gently, using his hands to widen her legs to accommodate him and nearly groaned when she ran a confident hand down his back. He fought the urge to buck into her and distractedly kissed her sweetly on the lips. She saw through his tactics as her hand weaved between their sweaty bodies to angle him to her pink heaven. They both gasped in unison when his tip came into contact with her moist heat.

"Yin…tell me when…" He groaned breathlessly when her other hand weaved through his damp black hair, pushing the plastered strands on his forehead out of his eyes. He glanced down at her momentarily, to search her blank, emotionless face. She was staring back at him, and though he knew she couldn't see the love he held for her in his eyes, he knew she felt it every time he leaned forward to plant hungry kisses along her collarbones, occasionally glancing back to marvel at the far away daze in her eyes. He rubbed his manhood against her sex, coating himself with the slick moisture that collected on her curls, running his tip teasingly against her pearl until the strain he felt could be held off no longer. He choked out her name through gritted teeth when he felt the hand that was circled around his girth tightly squeeze.

"...shitttt" He moaned as he closed his eyes and allowed his head to lull back. His whole body trembled along with the quake of her thighs. He waited patiently for her align him up with her pink heaven once again, and a feeble gasp escaped her lips when he pushed himself in.

"Hei!" She mewed beautifully as he filled her. He paused for a second to allow her a few moments to get used to his intrusion before he felt her nails dig into his backside and he rocked his hips at a pace that had them both panting for air. Keeping his weight balanced on his forearms that rested on either side of her head, he buried his face into the crook of her neck and littered her sensitive neck with sloppy kisses. She moaned his name religiously until she hadn't the voice to call out to him any longer. When he glanced down to search her face, he witnessed her wet cheeks and her flowing tears and paused. She opened her eyes to question him and he mumbled in a raspy voice,

"What's wrong?...I can stop." She slowly shook her head, but he paused his hips anyway. The moment he did his thighs screamed of their disapproval and by the way she was moaning it was clear that she too had been close. Her lilac eyes searched him before he pulled her up with him and sat up.

"Why are you crying?" He asked in all seriousness as he pulled her into a hug. She buried her face into his neck as she whispered,

"Don't stop…" He wanted to fight her on it, but decided to give her what she wanted as he layed back down. She climbed up on him and took over the pace. He watched her through hooded eyes as the pleasure he had felt only a few moments earlier intensified. She rode him silently, but he was itching to know what had upset her,

"Tell me…" He coaxed as he rested his hands on her hips to speed up her pace. She said nothing as he brought her farther and farther to ecstasy. Her name was a desperate whine that left his lips moments before he felt his end,

"I found the ring you hid...the answer is yes." She mumbled softly as her fingers dug into his chest. His eyes widened the moment he realized what she was referring to. He had bought the ring weeks ago...he hated how he still hadn't gathered enough courage to pop the question. Yin wasn't like any woman he'd ever met, and the first woman he could confidently say that the love he held for her was real love. In the back of his head he knew her possible rejection could devastate him, so every time he held it off, he would make a promise to himself to ask her the next day. But he never did.

"W-what?" He stuttered as he squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't believe that she wanted to bring that up, now of all times. He was coming, and soon, so he picked up his pace, slamming himself into her sweet spot to quickly bring her to ecstasy before he too met his end.

"Say it..." She demanded harshly despite the delicate moan that followed that statement due to his rough treatment. He flinched as he felt his dick twitch. His heart was pounding so hard he thought he would have a heart attack.

"Not now…" he choked. She shook her head.

"Say it!" She repeated more adamantly as she reached behind him and cupped his balls. He let out a strangled desperate cry as he gave in immediately, took a deep breath and groaned,

"Yin will you marry me?"

She cried out as she came, the answer to his question a dragged out whimper as she cried,

". _..yes_ "

He came instantly, flipping them over and ramming himself into her tight warm depths as he groaned out his undying love for her in breathless, incoherent pants.

"This isn't quite how I imagined proposing to you...Are you sure this is want you want? You can say no..." He questioned curiously when they both were sated and she was limp in his arms. She cupped his cheek and lovingly responded,

"Yes...I want this...I want you…."

"...ok"

"I'm happy...are you?"

"Yes"

"...soka*"

* * *

"Yin…"

"Yin...wake up" A gentle voice coerced her from her dreams as strong arms rocked her gently in the sheets. She slowly opened her eyes, breathing out his name as she mumbled,

"Hei…" There was a moment of silence before the bed shifted. She inhaled deeply and it hit her that the bed didn't smell of him as it usually had.

"D-do you love me Yin?" That voice asked softly, almost fearfully. It resonated a little farther than she expected, and she rolled over to its direction. What was wrong with him? Why did he sound so emotional. The Hei she knew wasn't so vulnerable.

"Yes…" She mumbled as she rubbed sleep out of her eyes only to find that the man standing before her was not her husband. If he knew her better he would have registered the shock on her face and the slight disturbance by the way she shuffled farther in the bed.

"Why am I here?" She whispered as she glanced around the room. She clearly remembered him dismissing her from their little date last night. He had never brought her to his bed like this before, and this progression scared her. She knew he had strong feelings for her, and also that he believed that she still had induced amnesia so she tried to choose her words wisely.

"Who is Hei?" Matsuda questioned curiously as he stood in only his boxers at the edge of his bed. Immediately she sat up and checked herself, relieved that she was clothed.

"Who is Hei? You've been mumbling that name all night. Do you love this person?" He interrogated, surprisingly polite, despite his demanding tone. She averted her gaze and pulled the sheets up to her chin. He sighed.

"I see...I'll have to make some adjustments to your collar. I don't know why I didn't realize earlier that it was malfunctioning." She said nothing as she continued to stare at the sheets. He walked over and cupped her chin, coaxing her to look at him.

"Please don't" She mumbled as she attempted to push him away. He withdrew slightly.

"I don't know who this Hei is, but I have you now - and I'll never let you go. If I ever encounter this Hei...I'll kill him. No one can take you away from me, not now - not ever."

She flinched at his words. He dragged her out of the bed and tossed some clothes at her.

"Put these on."

"Aren't I going back into the tank?" She asked quietly as she held the outfit in her hand.

"No. There's no point. There's no time. I'll have my assistant come get you from here. Don't bother trying to leave this room. There's nowhere you can go that I can't find you. Am I understood?"

She kept her head bowed and her eyes glued to the floor as she wearily responded,

"Hai…"

* * *

"So Li-kun, can I call you Li-kun? What made you want to be a scientist?" Kana chatted as she measured out the right dosage for a particular concoction that Matsuda required for the next trial. He had half a mind to rebuke the woman for always finding a reason to avoid focusing on her work but decided to hold his tongue. When Dr. Akagi wasn't present in the lab, which was often, she was his superior - unfortunately.

"I do what I do for the person I cherish."

"Oh...how honorable. If you don't mind me asking, is this person a member of your family?"

He refused to meet her eye, but nodded his head yes.

"...a woman?" She tried to feign passive indifference but he could see right through her tactics.

"Yes"

"Oh...I see." He noticed that her gaze lingered on his left hand, but he always put his wedding band in his cubby before he worked around the chemicals so he wasn't wearing it. That seemed to reassure her because she exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Do you do it for your sister?"

He frowned at her question.

"How did you know that I have a sister?" He demanded softly as he tried to hide the edge in his tone. The woman already talked too much. Now was he to believe she was a stalker too?

Kana merely smiled as she shrugged,

"You just have that big brother personality, you know? I just assumed maybe you had a sister. I guess I'm right huh?"

He ignored her questions as he continued his work. He never felt more relieved than when he heard the melody that signaled his assistance in the testing lab.

"Time flies by so fast…" She mumbled softly when he got up to leave. _Sure it does, especially when you're not doing your work…._ he thought to himself.

"Have fun in the lab today. I've heard so much gossip already about the 00-7MK trials. How exciting!" Hei gave her a blank, cold stare. Leave it up to these types of people to believe that kidnapping civilians and using them for scientific experiments was exciting.

* * *

Matsuda greeted him quickly before returning to his work,

"Good to see you Li-kun. You're right on time, as always. 00-7MK seems a little uncooperative today. I went back through the charts and examined her anxiety levels from the past week and they're consistently lower when you're around her. I think it's safe to say that you may be the right person to help guide her today. Is that going to be alright with you? I know you're just supposed to administer the dosages, but I'm happy to add you personally to the team. Sounds good?"

"Sounds great. What would you like for me to do today?"

"Well, today I want to test some theories that I have. I believe Izanami is using 00-7MK as it's host, only she's unwilling to show her true form. We know at this point that she is housed in 00-7MK's subconscious, and the tricky part is finding a way to remove her from there and make her more tangible."

"Why do you believe Izanami is unwilling to show her true form?"

"I know Izanami is aware that we are tampering with her host. Which to her, can never mean a good thing. 00-7MK fluctuates from being her normal stoic self to being someone different altogether; someone haughty and cruel...and cold. This only happens for a brief time period when she's under the influence of the dosages we have you administer to her. Finding the right concoction to even get her to that point has been a success. Yet, something is still missing...I can't quite put my finger on it yet."

Matsuda walked over to the drawing board where a series of complicated formulas were drawn out.

"You see this formula here - " He pointed to an equation written in a red dry erase marker.

" - This is the formula I've been using to control the fluctuating activities of her memory function. Since currently, you're the only one who seems to reach her when she's in her subconscious state, I just want you to simply conversate with her. Make her feel comfortable: her and Izanami. While you do that, it will give me a chance to collect some data on how to make adjustments to that device I have around her neck."

"...the collar?"

"Precisely" Both turned their attention to the door as his team of female assistants entered the room.

"Dr. Matsuda, subject 00-7MK was not in her tanks when we did our early morning check…"

"I am aware of that. I have already done that check, in fact she's in my quarters waiting to start her trials right now." The woman looked at him absurdly when he made mention that the test subject was in his private space but she made no comment on it. Matsuda seemed to take advantage of her silence because he swiveled in his chair until he was facing Hei as he side-noted,

"Would you like for me to retrieve her?" One of the assistants finally asked. He brushed it off.

"No...I think I'll send someone else...neh Li-kun, why don't you go fetch 00-7MK for us? I need the team to really focus on setting up the testing labs today. I have a feeling we can make a breakthrough today if we're all on our toes, cooperating as a team...Besides, I think that will be the perfect time for you to bond with her. Wouldn't you agree Li-kun?" He tossed him a key card that Hei caught with ease.

"Now let me forewarn you... she can be finicky, but she'll come around. She's been acting a bit strange lately but we'll correct that odd behavior when you come back." Hei squinted his eyes suspiciously at that statement. What was the doctor up to now?

"Go on now. We can't start until you come back." Matsuda encouraged as he waved Hei off absently.

"I'll be back…" Hei nodded as he wasted no time making his way to the doctor's private room.

* * *

Yin listened to the footsteps of the person behind the door carefully. Something about them was off. They were practiced; each step was intentional. And every movement made was with delicate ease. It didn't take long for her to recognize who they belonged to...

 _...Hei_

The familiar click of the door opening had her off the bed in a heartbeat. Her heart was pounding so loud she swore that he would hear it; it was such an almighty sound. They made eye contact instantly, each frozen where they stood. Even in her blind state, everything about him screamed authentic. The way he hovered near the door. The way his head turned as he quickly accessed the room for where any hidden cameras or wire traps that may have been hidden. The strength in his aura and his calming natural scent. Everything in the world felt at peace for those few silent moments.

Hei was the first to move as he slowly walked up to her, giving her a looking of warning to not acknowledge him as someone she knew. He didn't need to warn her however, she'd already messed up. She'd slipped up, and put their chances of escape in danger. It would only take a matter of time before Matsuda discovered who Hei really was. And she was confident that once he did, he would take action by truly erasing her memories - forever.

Hei stood in the middle of the room, not too far from the edge of the bed where she was standing. She could tell by the way he was studying her that he wasn't too thrilled to witness her in the state she was in. She was damaged; she felt damaged. Like an old used container your grandmother kept around just in case she found other ways to recycle it. She fidgeted slightly under his unwavering stare, and he took the hint and averted his gaze. Her determination was chipped away, her resolve was worn down, and her sense of hope was teetering along the lines of neglect. And deep down, she hated to acknowledge that maybe things were meant to be this way. Maybe the life she lived with Hei was always supposed to be short lived. Maybe she was just another silly girl who really believed she deserved a happy ever after. Just maybe, she was wrong...

"Who are you?" She feigned, as she made a point to physically look him up and down as if she'd never seen him before. He regarded her silently before he responded,

"Don't you remember me? I'm one of your assistants. You don't need to be afraid. I'm here to help you."

"Why should I believe you?" She mumbled softly. His eyes widened softly at how well she was acting. As far as she knew, Matsuda was always monitoring her every move, so she could only suspect that there was a possibility that he was monitoring their interaction this very moment.

"Because why else would I be here? From what I can gauge, the other assistants aren't too fond of you...would I really volunteer to come fetch you if I didn't care?"

"They might not be fond of me...but Matsuda is…" He flinched at her words. She didn't need to see him to know that he was caught off guard by her words.

"How does that make you feel?" He countered as he took a tentative step forward.

"I don't know. I can't feel anything right now."

"How do you want to feel?" He asked curiously as he stood before her. She was silent for a brief moment before she whispered something he could hardly hear,

"...loved…" He didn't respond, but the way he reached his hand out to push her hair behind her ears said everything in ways he could not. She knew he loved her - he always had. And he would rescue her; no doubt about it.

"Why are you here?" She finally asked before she looked up at him, her dull lilac eyes shimmering with a flicker of hope and unbinding patience. He grabbed her hand and gently dragged her out the door as he called out behind him,

"You'll soon find out…"

* * *

The harsh sounds of their pants were the only sounds that could be heard as they ran as silently as possible through the hallway. Every time they heard a group of people coming near them, Hei would duck with her in his arms in a nearby hallway. They were not too far from the testing labs now, so making their way there wouldn't seem too suspicious as he pulled her into a utility closet and immediately shut the door. Before she had time to talk she felt his mouth crash down on her, as he embraced her in a hug so tight she hardly had space in her lungs to breathe. The kiss was demanding, fearful, and incredibly nostalgic. She ran her hands up his body, marveling at that fact that she had him in her arms once again, and by the way his hands wandered all over her body, she could tell that he felt the same. When he pulled away, she resisted the urge to kiss him again. She wanted to tell him how much she missed his touch, or about what happened the day she was kidnapped, or even what Matsuda was planning...anything really, but her voice was unresponsive. He beat her to it when he breathed,

"What has he done to you?" She shook her head. He searched her frantically.

"We don't have much time Yin. They'll be expecting us soon. Has he hurt you? Has he touched you? I know he's a perverted freak - "

" - Hei stop." He cut his rambling short.

"He knows…"

"About what?"

"About Hei. He knows I love someone named Hei. He knows that I still remember things...things from my past - with you…"

Hei shook his head,

"I know it seems like he wants you...that he's obsessed with you, but really it's Izanami that he wants."

"Do you have a plan?" He nodded his head yes.

"I do, but it's too much to get into right now. I need you to be as cooperative as you comfortably can so he doesn't notice me putting things into action ok. I'm trying to befriend him and I'm getting some help from his wife...bear with me on this...I'm gonna get you out of here." She nodded her head in understanding and just as he reached to open the door, she yanked his arm back. He looked over his shoulder surprisingly as he hesitated,

"What is it Yin?"

"I love you…" She whispered softly. He sighed slightly,

"I know...you know I love you too right?" She nodded her head. He leaned in and kissed her sweetly on her lips,

"I need you to trust me." She didn't respond because she knew she needed to reassure herself that Hei knew what he was doing. No matter what type of situation they got themselves into, they'd always found a way to prevail. And this was no exception. She needed to trust him , and she would trust him - he was all she had left.

"I just wanted to tell you that before he takes my memories away." Hei's eyes flared with anger before he cupped her face lovingly and responded with all seriousness,

"He won't - I won't let him." She couldn't stand to look at his determined eyes knowing that she felt so defeated and crippled when it came to her situation. She fiddled with the wedding band that was on a chain around his neck as she responded gravely,

"...he will"

 **Author Note:** Review, don't review. You can do whatever you like.

*Sou ka: "I see"...or "is that so?"


End file.
